CLINTON, Miss. — Mississippi College and the University of West Florida battled to a 2-2 draw on Sunday at Robert P. Longabaugh Field. After West Florida took an early lead with a first-half goal, MC responded with two goals in the second half to briefly gain the advantage. However, West Florida equalized, resulting in a tense conclusion. The Blue and Gold tallied 11 shots with 5 on goal, while West Florida recorded 23 shots, 10 of which were on target.
The first half saw West Florida take an early lead over Mississippi College, with Manu Bernabeu scoring the only goal in the 36th minute. Mississippi College's goalkeeper
Cole Turner was active early, saving several shots including a bottom center attempt by Jonas Grauer in the opening minutes. Both teams exhibited aggressive play, resulting in a total of six fouls, with
Alvaro Pena of Mississippi College receiving a yellow card in the 28th minute. Despite several shot attempts from both teams, including a late effort from
Callum Lee that went out top left, West Florida maintained their 1-0 advantage going into the break.
The second half began with the Choctaws and West Florida tied at 1-1. MC's Matton quickly made an impact, scoring two goals within a minute, the first at 53:11 assisted by
Ben Britton, giving Mississippi a 2-1 lead. West Florida responded in the 75th minute when Grauer found the back of the net, leveling the score at 2-2. The half was marked by aggressive play and numerous fouls, with both teams struggling to gain the upper hand, culminating in a tense finish with neither side able to break the deadlock.
Matton scored two goals on four shots, with all shots on goal, contributing significantly to the team's offensive efforts. Britton added an assist and managed two shots, one of which was on goal. Turner recorded eight saves, with six in the first half, effectively handling the pressure from 23 shots faced.
Mississippi Col. Top Performers
Cole Turner
----------------------
- 8 saves
Ben Britton
----------------------
- 1 assist
- 2 shots
- 1 shot on goal
Lewis Matton
----------------------
- 2 goals
- 4 shots
- 4 shots on goal
Mississippi College stood at 2-1-3 overall and 1-0-1 in conference play. West Florida held a record of 3-1-2 overall and 1-0-1 in conference action.
